While traditional knowledge in education is valuable for its wisdom, looking at other fields widens the perspective and adds depth to the existing knowledge. This research shows that education can gather methods from gamification to benefit both students and teachers.

Gamification masters the technique of getting the most out of players; using this in education means getting the most out of a student. Gamification reduces education’s complexity into two simple groups: positive motivation and negative motivation. This simple method makes it possible for teachers to analyze and design their lessons in a strategic way to find the hidden potential beyond what we can see.

Positive motivation creates a healthy environment for students to express their full creativity, free from the side effect of rigid institutional structures. By making learning fun and inclusive while respecting their creative confidence, students would find it easier to leave their comfort zone and reveal their hidden potential.

However, most students stayed in their comfort zone despite having abundant positive motivation. There needed to be more than this valuable nurturing foundation to encourage students to learn new things. The research demonstrated that it is negative motivation that dramatically takes students out of their shells, enabling them to unearth new hidden potentials that they and their teachers were unaware of before.

Art education needs to pay attention to the hidden potential in its students, as they are individuals with unique, hidden abilities that are undefined. They join this study to have an opportunity to express this uniqueness. However, they are regarded as misfits. The official curriculum needs to recognize the hidden power within them. As shown by the result, this couldn’t be further from the truth, as the students who are almost dropping out could be the shining star of the study. This thesis is inspired by the many demotivated students who have found a way to get back up, thanks to believing in their own hidden potential.